Decking device



SePt- 29, 1931 A. COPONY 1,824,983

DECKING DEVICE Filed May 14, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 freci 50W Patented Sept. 29, 1931 g ALFRED coPoNY, oF 'MOUNT cLnMENs, MICHIGAN, vA'ss's'iGN'on 'rov eoroNYAUro LoAD- ING COMPANY, or DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A .ooRPoRA'rIoNoI MICHIGAN DECKING yDEVICE g n' Appiiavtin mea May 14, 192e." serial No. 277,704.` I

'This invention relates -to ydecking devices and more particularly to permanentdecking devices for automobiles foruse in railway freight cars and the like. l

' OneI of the o bfectsf of this inventionis `to provide a simple,A economical but efficient method and apparatus for loadingsuch cars .as automobiles and the like, the construction being-particularly adaptable to half decking as distinguishedy from double decking employed when the cars are of such size as to permit` one to be decked Aabove theother.. l `Another object of theinvention is to provide an apparatus of the herein described nature,rthe. lessential parts of which may be permanently associated with the railway car and may be readily brought into operative position for use in decking the vehicles;

l Still another object yof the invention is to' vk provide apparatus of this naturel wherein a lcertain flexibility in the `loading of the upper wheels is permitted to thereby permit of the movement resulting from the-resiliency Aofthetires of the lower wheelsand as aconse- Y Y quence preventing sudden shocks being eXert'- edupon the supporting members that might tend to disconnectthe same from thejcar. ,F Various fother obj'ectsj, advantages `and novel details of construction of this inven- A tion will bemade more apparent as this-description proceeds, ,particularly when ,n the 'esame is considered in connectionwith the accompanying drawings wherein one illustra- .tive embodiment of--the inventionis shown 35 and wherein:

Figure 1 is afragmentary perspective-view .of a freight car showing my improvedY decking device'associated therewith. ,e r

`Figure 2 yisa fragmentary .vertical 'longie0 Vtudinal-sectional View througha conventional form Lof `freight car. showing several-'cars loaded therein. f; v i e f f Figure 3 .is afvertical sectional view taken substantially on ,the `plane indicated byline Y, ,3-3 inFigure2 and VFigure 4 isa-n enlarged vertical sectional view throughone of the supporting elements. Referring now more particularly to the drawings lwherein like. reference characters 5u indicate likeparts, itwillfbepnotedthat there v plates 18,*lower-fsheathing 14 and ends'heathcomposed ofa plurality-of short'lengths vvcar is usedY for other4 purposes.

is '.fragmentarily illustrated aconventional form of freightr car including a bottom or flooring 10, side posts 11door posts 12,side e ingl 15.

. Xtending longitudinally ofthe car at each side thereof/and immediately under the side plates 13 are supportingrodsl. Thesesupporting rods may be of tubular orlsolid members as desired/and extend the full length of the car, crossing the tops of the dooropenings as clearlyY illustrated. These rods 16 v will pass through and-be' supported bythe side posts lland door posts 12 as will be obvious. In each one 'of the panels between the side posts -11 'I provide a hanger 17. 4v -Eachhanger is-formed at one end thereof with-.a'pair of relatively la'rgeprj wide eyes -lSwhich Vencircle the wsupporting rods-16.AA `to pivotally or swinginglysupport the hanger 17 thereon. Spanning eachpanel' is a footing-strip 19. Thea-footing strip-maybe formed fof a continuous .piece extending past and secured toithe respective Vside posts 11 or. may be Vwith the endsthereof secured respectively to adjacent side posts. @By mounting the hangers 1 7 on the supporting rods 516 by" means of the relatively wide eyes 18 'thesehangers may be swung so as to vposition the same back lof the footing strip -19 `as suggested iii-Figure l so thatthese hangers may be located out of the way wliennot being used-or `when the Cooperating with the footing stripslzi); are supporting beams or-`V members 20, each' vof these-members being-providedwith a notch 21 formed adjacent one end'fthereof adapted 'to'engage in any one of, a plurality, of.cutaway portionsor notches A22 formed inthe lowerk edge ofthe footingstrip 19. ,l In .prac- 1tice thesesupporting beams 20 will generally befurnished by the manufacturer of the-automobiles beingshipped. Each beam QOis .providedon the end, opposite` to the 4notched end, with a hoxingstrap loop 23.' Obviously these loops may bemade any lengthso as to support the end of .the car theV proper 'heightl from the .floor l0 of the railway car.

With one endof thebeam engaging the footrod 16 and a plurality of hangers 17 are pro- Y vided at each side of the railway car and the position of the hanger 17 maybevar-iellwith in the limits defined by the spacedside posts 1-"12 byfmoving thef'samealong the supporting rodf 156; also thiefbeams 20-may be adjusted longitudinally ofthe car by reason of' the plurality of recesses 22``orm`ed' inthe vfooting strip 19.

Y In vpractice vchainv falls lusually used `for liftifrifgc'ars inthe railway car will' be'hitched to one-ofthe supports 1`6 at. any' convenient point and-thefront'end ofthe automobile Will be lifted' upuntil thev Wheels arethe necessary height above the* floor.. The' supporting beamsl are then engaged with properly 'placed hangers at both: sides of the car', the notched ends are littedinfto an adjacent notch QQ-'i'n-Ithe footing strip 1`9fanditheboxing strap loops 2310i the beams 20' are fittedy over'the hubs of' the' front Wheels'. The chainlwfalls are then lovveredandE taken on. It' is then generally customary to# secure by nailing the" end of each beam 20""to therfooting strips 19E The Wheels of the automobile which are resting upon the Hoor 10 are secured 'in the 'customary v manner as for instance; by' Wheel vblock straps and'ti'eA downs 25r as suggested in 2'. This 'method of loading permits onemotor end to' be located aboveA the otherY 'motor end of the` ne'fxt adjacent automobile and Wil'f meet the conditions of limited space satisfactorily. Y

number of advantagesareobtained with theuse of this' invention for instance' thereV is a certain' desirable flexibility' in the mounting orsupport foreach Vcar resulting from theresiliencyof the'tiresiofthelower Wheels Whichk is'permited oraccommodfated by the swing of theu loops 23. This prevents sudden shocks on the fastening means which might disengage the saine from the car or prove otherwise' disasterous. In practice it has-been found that in the v'videst railwaycars the'V length of the beamsV QO'do not eX'ce'zed"Y approximately two feet as the leverage is approximatelytwo to nea standard 2X4 strip of lumber will he suiiicient toy sup-port the heaviestof cars. When itis necessary todeck avehicle' adjacent' the d'ooropemng temporary'strips corresponding with Vfooting strips 19 may-be secured A*in place in the door' openings and hangersmay be attached to the supporting rods 16 already' in place.l v

While one embodiment of this invention has been described and illustrated herein somewhat in detail it will be readily apparent to those skilled in this art thatmany changes in the essential and all of the non-essential details-vof the invention may be resorted to Without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention and to this end reservation is made to make such changes as may come Within the purviewofthe" accompanying claims.

Y Vhat I claim as my invention is:

1. lna decking device, a supporting rod, afooting` str-ip arranged in spaced relation to said supporting rod, and a hanger slidably vcarried by said supporting rod for movement to'positions on oppositesides of said' footing strip and for movement longitudinallyof said rod. r u

2'. A decking device includingfincombinationa supporting rod,y a footingzstrip spaced from'said'supporting rod', a hanger pivotally and slidably carried by said supporting. rod, and a' beam.- adapted to-be securedy tofthesaid footingf strip and' to :bebraced-*by Ythe said hanger..

decking device for vehicles including inA combination a. footing'r strip; the saidy footing strip.' being provided With' a plurality of notches, and? a supporting beam adapted to gv` be secured to the said?` footing strip to. project at. right angles to the same, the said support.- ing beambeing. notched: to: engage thenotches of t'hesaidV footingstrip'.

4; In al vehicle decking device.' including in combination a footing,` strip providedY with a v plurality' of longitudinally spaced' notches*` a supporting beam# adapted tobe secured: tothe said footingstrip,; the said supporting' beam being notched to engagel thef notches of the v:Eo'otingstrip, and means forbracin'g th'ef'said supporting beam.I I

Y 5. Inl a'qvehi'cle decking deviceincluding in combination a footing strip provided with a plurality ofV longitudinally' spaced notches, a supporting'beam adapted toI be secured to the said footing' strip in theA notches thereof,- and means forl bracing the said' supporting beam, said' means including a supporting rod.' secured in spaced relation to the said footing strip,A and aI hanger carried by the said supporting rod' for engagement with the sai-bl supportingbeamaY Y Y Y 6L In a decking devicelf'or vehicles including in combinationV a footing strip,"a supporting beam'secured' tothe said footingstriprand projecting at right angles to thesame', and a flexible member carried by the' free end, of the saiid supporting beam, the said Hexible; member being adapted for engagement with the hub of a vehicle Wheel to support thesame.

7. Inacdecking device for vehicles includ- Y ing in combination a footing' strip vpi'om'ded With` a plurality of longitudinally spaced cured to the said footing strip to vproject at right angles to the same and engaging a notch therein, a supporting rodv secured in spaced relation to the said footing strip, a hanger oarried by the said supportingrod and adapted to engage the said supporting beam to brace the same, and a exible member carried by the free end of the said supporting beam for engagement with a vehicle Wheel.

8. The combination with a freight car of a vehicle decking device including in combination a supporting rod arranged longitudinally of the said car adjacent the side thereof, a footing strip arranged longitudinally of the car adjacent the side thereof and in spaced relation to the said supporting rod, a beam engageable with the footing strip, and a hanger carried by the said supporting rod, the said hanger being movable to a position between the said footing strip and the side of the car and being adjustable longitudinally of the rod for engagement With the said beam. f

9. In a vehicle decking device, a footing strip, a supporting beam adapted for engagement with the said footing strip and for adjustment longitudinally thereof, and means for bracing the supporting beam.

10. In a vehicle decking device, a footing strip, a supporting beam adapted for engagement With the said footing strip and adjustable longitudinally thereof, a rod arranged parallel to said footing strip and in spaced relation thereto, and a hanger adjustably mounted on said rod and engageable With said beam for bracing the same.

In testimony whereof I afIiX my signature.

ALFRED COPNY. 

